Stereodude
Not really a
Has anyone messed around with Bluetooth speakers? Any suggested models, ones to avoid, or general comments?
Bluetooth speakers
- Thread starter Stereodude
- Start date
Stereodude
Not really a
Yes, if it's not portable you might as well use wires IMHO.
I thought I wanted the UE boom because it seems rugged and has a proclaimed 360 degree sound but after doing more research I was lead back to the JBL units. Not that the UE boom was bad but there are a decent amount of options to consider. I listened to a few of them over the weekend at BestBuy and they sound fine but I also have pretty low expectations to start. The demo systems are hard to do any real comparison because they play random popular top-40 music at the loudest volume for only 15 seconds or so before shutting off. I think for my needs any of them will suffice. There was a Sony unit that's smallish size in a rectangle that I thought sounded pretty decent. I'll have to look up the model number on it. I also don't recall if it was waterproof like some of the others.
Stereodude
Not really a
The UE Boom is not a stereo speaker. You have to pair two of them using the Double Up feature and use their app set set them to stereo in order to get stereo sound. My buddy has two of them. I've only heard one of them (not the stereo setup) when he demo'd it for me. It's decent, much better than phone or tablet's speakers, but not great. I think I would like a more traditional directional stereo speaker myself. The JBL Xtreme looks interesting from the specs and the reviews, but it is fairly large.
Stereodude
Not really a
tldr; -> Well, I walked into Best Buy this evening thinking I would like the JBL Charge 3. I walked out of the store with a Sony SRS-XB3 in my hands.
Their demo setup didn't bother me that much with the short snippets and only a few tracks. The only real problem I had is that the same tracks weren't used for each companies demos. I thought the JBL Charge 3 had missing mids / upper mids. The JBL Xtreme was too bass heavy, but might have otherwise had a better tonal balance. The UE Boom 2 and Megaboom were just bad. They must be paying off reviewers. :bomb: The Sony SRS-XB3 and SRS-HG1 caught my ear having what I thought to be full rich sound. I thought they sounded better with the Extra Bass turned off and the volume turned up a little more. Of course they had different demo tracks from the JBLs so I couldn't be entirely sure. With their demo tracks I thought the HG1 maybe sounded a little bit better than the XB3. Then I had an idea. I tapped my LG G4 to the top of the XB3 since it had NFC and it prompted me to pair to the speaker. I paired and had control of it, so I played a track I knew well from my phone. I was quite happy with what I heard. I tried to pair with the HG1, but it would not pair. They had a sign up that said the XB3 was on sale for $119.99 and the HG1 was $149.99 on sale. They XB3 had longer listed battery life, I was quite happy with what I heard, they had one in black left in stock, so I bought it.
Turns out the sale sign was for last week, but they honored it (and took it down). I used a $10 coupon BB e-mailed me and left with SRS-XB3 in hand.
Their demo setup didn't bother me that much with the short snippets and only a few tracks. The only real problem I had is that the same tracks weren't used for each companies demos. I thought the JBL Charge 3 had missing mids / upper mids. The JBL Xtreme was too bass heavy, but might have otherwise had a better tonal balance. The UE Boom 2 and Megaboom were just bad. They must be paying off reviewers. :bomb: The Sony SRS-XB3 and SRS-HG1 caught my ear having what I thought to be full rich sound. I thought they sounded better with the Extra Bass turned off and the volume turned up a little more. Of course they had different demo tracks from the JBLs so I couldn't be entirely sure. With their demo tracks I thought the HG1 maybe sounded a little bit better than the XB3. Then I had an idea. I tapped my LG G4 to the top of the XB3 since it had NFC and it prompted me to pair to the speaker. I paired and had control of it, so I played a track I knew well from my phone. I was quite happy with what I heard. I tried to pair with the HG1, but it would not pair. They had a sign up that said the XB3 was on sale for $119.99 and the HG1 was $149.99 on sale. They XB3 had longer listed battery life, I was quite happy with what I heard, they had one in black left in stock, so I bought it.
Turns out the sale sign was for last week, but they honored it (and took it down). I used a $10 coupon BB e-mailed me and left with SRS-XB3 in hand.
Thanks for posting the Sony model numbers. The SRS-HG1 is the one I liked when I was listening to them in the store. My thoughts mirror yours a bit with the UE Boom. I had watched and listened to numerous reviews on the unit but when I heard it in the store I wasn't that excited by the sound. I think their tradeoff was in making it very rugged takes away from the sound quality a bit. I liked the sound of the JBL better than the UE but the Sony was the best of the bunch. I can't remember why I didn't give the SRS-XB3 a listen but maybe I should go compare the two once again. I tried pairing my phone just like you did but my NFC wouldn't connect to the unit in my BB store. I also thought the Extra Bass detracted from the sound more than it helped. With the SRS-HG1 I noticed that it rattled the casing which is what I heard more of than the music. It could just be the demo unit was beaten up which is why it didn't sound good. Sounds like you got a nice deal on the speaker.
Stereodude
Not really a
Playing with the Sony at home it sounds quite good and I'm even more impressed by it. It's no match for my Airmotiv speakers at work or my hi-fi systems at home, but the quality of the sound they crammed into such a relatively small box is pretty much shocking from my perspective. It can play quite loud and cleanly with no obvious coloration or distortion to the sound. It's even got respectable low end sitting in front of it with it on my kitchen table. The biggest shortfall I see is the relative lack stereo imaging. Of course that is due to it being so small and having both the L&R speakers close together in the package. However, the XB3 like many other bluetooth speakers, supports using two of them for more traditional stereo sound with two separated speakers.
I'm not quite to the point of buying a second one just yet. But, the next time it drops to $99 at Amazon I might have to bite. :sunny:
I'm not quite to the point of buying a second one just yet. But, the next time it drops to $99 at Amazon I might have to bite. :sunny:
Last edited:
mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
Well, I'm a tad late to the party!
About 4 months ago, I got my daughter a JBL Go; it was our first experience with Bluetooth speakers, and it was cheap, so I bought it on a lark. For such a small thing, it sounds amazingly good.
After the initial amazement wore off, it was clear it lacked highs and lows (but in its defence, it is tiny). After some research, I got her a Sony SRS-X55. It is truly amazing, and she loves it. She's a music freak, constantly listening to stuff on her iPod, iPhone and laptop. She played sample pieces for me, and it's worth every penny paid for it - the clarity is really good, and all the notes come through well balanced. Highly recommended. Did you not listen to it at BB, SD?
About 4 months ago, I got my daughter a JBL Go; it was our first experience with Bluetooth speakers, and it was cheap, so I bought it on a lark. For such a small thing, it sounds amazingly good.
After the initial amazement wore off, it was clear it lacked highs and lows (but in its defence, it is tiny). After some research, I got her a Sony SRS-X55. It is truly amazing, and she loves it. She's a music freak, constantly listening to stuff on her iPod, iPhone and laptop. She played sample pieces for me, and it's worth every penny paid for it - the clarity is really good, and all the notes come through well balanced. Highly recommended. Did you not listen to it at BB, SD?
mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
BTW, I paid a tad under $140 for the SRS-X55; it was about a third off from its usual price here.
Stereodude
Not really a
They didn't have it. It looks to be an old model.
Stereodude
Not really a
I fear we might give Merc a heart attack if he happens to stumble across this thread with all the Sony love. :errr:
I didn't buy one (yet). BestBuy was out of stock on the one I wanted anyway so I may do something similar to you and wait for a sale on them.
Stereodude
Not really a
It looks like Costco sells this model for $129.99. I gave it a quick listen. It sounded a tad bass heavy, but it was a bit hard to really get a bead on its sound signature since the bass was rattling the display and the buzzing made it hard hear it clearly.
Last edited:
Stereodude
Not really a
Then are you recommending them or simply giving us a heads up?
mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
Does that make it bad? Many times, newer models perform worse than older ones!
It is not bass heavy! The XB3 is; the B in it stands for bass. The SRS-X55 is heavy and powerful, so it needs to be placed on a firm surface, or the stuff it's placed on will buzz.
Stereodude
Not really a
The XB is Extra Bass, which is a feature, one I leave turned off. I don't have a SRS-X55 at home, and I'm not going to buy one from Costco to audition it at home. I can't really agree with your synopsis of the two based on what I've heard, but I can't definitively refute it either since I can't do a controlled demo of the SRS-X55.
mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
Whatever floats your boat, mate.
Stereodude
Not really a
Sony has updated the models on their website. They've now got flashing lights. I saw them at CES, but didn't pay them much mind.
http://www.sony.com/electronics/wireless-speakers/srs-xb40
http://www.sony.com/electronics/wireless-speakers/srs-xb30
http://www.sony.com/electronics/wireless-speakers/srs-xb40
http://www.sony.com/electronics/wireless-speakers/srs-xb30
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
What about the GGMM M4? The reviews are good, but several come from the Apple crowd, so they have little value to me.
It seems bigger than the units you mention in this thread. I just need something that plays nice for a bedroom and can play audio broadcasted from another room about 20 feet away (with a wall between). The wifi mode should make this possible.
It seems bigger than the units you mention in this thread. I just need something that plays nice for a bedroom and can play audio broadcasted from another room about 20 feet away (with a wall between). The wifi mode should make this possible.
Stereodude
Not really a
Down to $109.99 in the store I go to and online.
Stereodude
Not really a
The Sony SRS-XB3's are $99.99 at Amazon as of now. I brought my pair of them with me to China. They've been great for listening to music in my hotel room as well as sending the audio from my tablet to when I've watched TV shows / movies.
Stereodude
Not really a
SRS-XB3 is now $98 at Amazon and B&H. Picked up a blue one to give to my Dad for Father's Day.
Are they being discontinued? I wonder if an SRS-XB3 might work well in the bathroom.
Stereodude
Not really a
Yes, they're being discontinued. The new model is the SRS-XB30. It worked quite well in the bathroom in China for listening to tunes while I was getting ready in the morning.
My headphones are dying, possibly due to the shower. Before that I was using the computer speakers, but they were bulky with all the cables and one fell into the tub.
I would be using the SONY for TV if Bluetooths can be transmitted to it. What do you use for the transmitter? I see many cheap ones with problems on the Amazon. Thanks.
Stereodude
Not really a
I was using a MP3 player with Bluetooth capability lying on the bed outside the bathroom. You could use your phone, a computer with BT, a modern TV that supports Bluetooth audio devices, etc.
Stereodude
Not really a
What color did you get?
I also sort of accidentally did this too. The description at B&H is rather confusing though. Sony's page.
I just went for the boring black for the speaker. I went for this case to hold it all for traveling. I admit to not doing a ton of research on the case.
Is that the new model Sony speaker? Did you get it yet or did you just order it now?
Is that the new model Sony speaker? Did you get it yet or did you just order it now?
Stereodude
Not really a
I didn't get a case for mine.
It's an old model. It came out over a year ago. I'm not sure if it's being discontinued or just on sale. I don't exactly see a newer replacement model in the pipeline. I only just ordered it. It's quite large in case you didn't notice. 12.8" x 25.6" x 13.4" and ~27lbs.
The XB3 weighs 27lbs. ?
Wow, no I didn't notice the size and weight until you pointed it out. I thought the image on the Sony page was just to make it look more impressive. I could see that being a fun speaker to bring to BBQs and outdoor gatherings.
Stereodude
Not really a
Yes, and I brought two of them to China with me. :rofl:
Seriously though, that's the GTK-XB7. The SRS-XB3 weighs ~2.05lbs per the Sony website.
Last edited:
Stereodude
Not really a
Stereodude
Not really a
Hey, I'm doing my part to try to bring him back here!!! I've bought 6 Sony products since the new year.
Ok, I'll order a pair.